Jeff Lawson, president and cofounder of Versity.com, said that the lecture notes are a student's own expansion on the lectures.

"What Versity.com posts is not a verbatim copy of the lecture. A student (notetaker) takes down essential facts, takes those facts and interprets them by expanding on what they think is important," Lawson said.

Versity.com has a clause in its user agreement stating that their notes are student interpretations of professors' lectures.

"The lecture notes contained within Versity.com are a notetaker's interpretation of what was presented in the lecture. They are not a professor's lecture notes," the agreement states.

Lawson said that his company provides notes for large introductory courses. Copyright laws do not apply to the communication of basic facts and general knowledge about the classes, he added.

Those who view Versity.com benefit from the "interpretation" of smart and diligent students who take notes for the service, Lawson said. The notetakers also benefit from having to re-read and type their notes.

Oran Wolf, resident of Study Free, the parent company of StudentU.com, said that publishing the lecture notes online is not a violation of the copyright laws because the notes are provided for educational purposes.

Copyright infringement and campus policy violation, however, are not the only problems associated with online lecture notes. Students could face serious disciplinary action if they are caught selling their notes to online services.

Student notetakers who work for companies like Versity.com and StudentU.com could face student conduct charges, said Douglas Zuidema, manager of the Office of Student Conduct.

"If the student sells their notes to a private entity that would be violating the code and this office would hold the student responsible," he added.

The Berkeley Campus Code of Student Conduct prohibits students from selling their lecture notes.

The code outlaws "selling or distributing course lecture notes" and "using (the notes) for any commercial purpose without the express permission of the instructor."

Zuidema said that the part of the student code banning the selling of lecture notes without the professor's permission is a new addition.

He said that he hopes that students who are selling their notes to online services will realize that they are, in fact, in violation of the student code.

But Lawson said that the school's Student Code regulations only hinder students.

"We don't think it is the university's intention to stifle competition and limit the resources that are available to the students," Lawson said.

Wolf said he did not comprehend why a beneficial service, such as online lecture notes, violated the student conduct code.

"I don't really understand why (unauthorized notetaking) would be an act of misconduct," he said. "(Students) who financially could use the money can put some money in their pockets."

He said that UC Berkeley students sell their lecture notes to Black Lightning, the official note-taking service of the school.

But Black Lightning only sends notetakers to classes where the professors consent to the service, according to Raleigh Wilson, the manager of Black Lightning. He said that the unauthorized services are hurting the school.

"It's terrible," Wilson said about the quality of most of the notes. "I think it's a rip-off. All they want to do is sell you something."

Wilson also said that Versity.com's argument that lecture notes are merely an "interpretation" of the lecture is wrong, and is infuriating teachers.

Students had varied opinions about the existence of online lecture notes.

Junior Milan Sheth said the notes should be available and free to students.

"It should be free for all," Sheth said. "(Students) should be able to enhance (their) education any way (they) want."

Other students sided with the university, saying that the lectures are the property of the instructor.

"I think the lectures are the professors' work, and they shouldn't be used without the professors' permission," said Watin Patel, a UC Berkeley junior.

Freshman Jason Tarn said he looked at some of the Web sites featuring free lecture notes, but thinks the notes do not substitute going to class.

Comment Policy
The Daily Cal encourages readers to voice their opinions respectfully in regards to both the readers and writers of The Daily Californian. Comments are not pre-moderated, but may be removed if deemed to be in violation of this policy. Comments should remain on topic, concerning the article or blog post to which they are connected. Brevity is encouraged. Posting under a pseudonym is discouraged, but permitted. Click here to read the full comment policy.